Rehoboth Foodie

Big Fish Grill is a good example of a big, well-run Rehoboth Beach dining establishment. This is NOT to disparage other great local spots. But the number of people they move through there on a busy summer evening, and the consistently positive reports I hear from customers all suggests that brothers Norman and Eric Sugrue must be doing something right.

Like their downtown Rehoboth Beach sister restaurant, Summerhouse Saloon, it's hard to get past the appetizers and the sandwiches. My regular Big Fish dining group (we love the huge, wooden "fish house"-style booths) goes for the grilled Charcoal Shrimp and the Caesar Salad (pretty straight-ahead, actually, but always with cool, crisp lettuce). The "Wedge," with bacon, tomato and cheese has a bit of a kick. A dash of cayenne in the blue cheese dressing, perhaps? The seasonal soups are simply delicious. Do not miss the Lobster Jalapeno Bisque. It's seasonal, mostly in the fall, and it's worth going just for that.

UPDATE! Foodie-in-Waiting Kas talked me into the house salad last night. The walnut dressing was great. I could order it up in a wine glass if they'd let me.

I sometimes run out of adjectives to replace words like "really good." Well, the sandwiches are, in fact, really good. The Big Chicken is outfitted just like a hamburger, but with a char-grilled chicken breast. Replace the chicken with an Angus beef patty (again, char-grilled), and you have the Old Fashioned Chop House Burger. The third major sandwich is the Crispy Fried Grouper sandwich. These are the same fried "fingers" that are on the appetizer menu, and they live up to their name. The little fillets are crunchy with a great breading and beg to be crowned with crispy cole slaw and a dollop of Big Fish Hot Sauce (there's a bottle in my refrigerator right now). Depending on the season and availability, the grouper might be replaced by some other equally white and flaky fish.

The sandwiches are served on a plump challah-style egg-bread roll that is so good that I drive to the Big Fish Market and buy them separately for my BBQ/burger cookouts. I must warn you that they sometimes don't have the rolls, and that can be a disappointment. But when they do have them, they are shiny golden brown and yielding on the outside, and slightly yellow and yeasty on the inside. The taste of the bread shines through the chicken, the burger and the fish (same thing goes for the ciabatta roll at Summerhouse, by the way).

The specials menu takes up a whole page. The Caramelized Salmon is coated is a slightly sweet, yet transparent sauce (I suspect a bit of maple syrup). It works perfectly with the firm fish, and is accompanied by shaved parmesan and your choice of sides. My dining companion-of-choice orders it all the time. Check out the Big Fish Board next to the kitchen doors. There are always special goodies lurking there. Before I send you on your way, I've got to mention a few particularly delectible items: (1) Mom's Meatloaf, plopped on a bed of mashed potatoes and slathered with a savory "demi-glaze" sauce, (2) the Big Shrimp platter with char-grilled shrimp on saffron rice and a veggy, and, last and definitely not least, the Neva's Potatoes. Named for the Sugrue family matriarch, I've described them in (painful) detail in my review of Summerhouse Saloon. Just order them. You won't be sorry.

If you're looking for a quiet, intimate little bistro with candle-lit shadows dancing across the walls, then put off Big Fish for another day. It's big, noisy with an army of friendly and efficient waitrons scurrying about. Each and every one of them has passed a rigorous test to ensure they can write their names upside down on the paper table "cloths." And, yes, there are crayons on the table. But isn't that what goin' to the beach is all about? Sometimes you just have to get right in the middle of it all. At Big Fish Grill you can do that and get deliciously consistent food at the same time.

By the way, Big Fish Grill also sells a nice hardback recipe book that I have used for parties, etc. If you like their food, you will enjoy the cookbook.

Big Fish Grill is on the west side of Highway 1, on the left just as you cross over the canal going north. If you're driving south, pass the Rt. 1-A Rehoboth Avenue cutoff and Big Fish Grill will be just ahead on the right. It pretty much takes up the whole block, so you can't miss it. Get ready to wait in the summertime. But on a warm evening with a salty breeze, you shouldn't be in a hurry anyway! Call to check hours in the off-season at (302) 227-FISH (3474). Click here for the dinner menu at Big Fish Grill. (L., D., Bar) Price Range: Moderate +.